He came to this conclusion after reportedly speaking to James Rimmer, the Weston area chief executive.

Weston General Hospital has now responded, however, saying that there is no anticipated date for the re-opening of the overnight A&E department.

James Heappey speaking in Parliament

A spokesman for the Weston Area Health NHS Trust said: “Patient safety is our priority. We can confirm that there is no anticipated date for reopening our A&E overnight as it is wholly reliant on our ability to recruit enough permanent A&E doctors and nurses to safely staff the department.

“Good progress is being made with recruitment, but new doctors and nurses also require lengthy training and supervision until they are able to work independently.

“We have to be assured that staffing levels are safe and very importantly that they are sustainable.

“We could not be in a position where we lifted the temporary overnight closure but found ourselves back in a position of having inadequate and unsafe staffing a short time later.”